STAR, Idaho — The Idaho Senate passed House Bill 570 Thursday after adding amendments to the legislation that wants to grandfather in historic liquor distributors after a state-run liquor store opens in any given small town.
Speaker of the House Mike Moyle (R-Star) pitched the bill after a state store opened in his district. The Star Merc sold state liquor for decades before the state of Idaho moved into the town.
The senate amendments clarify the distributors agreement cannot be transferred to a different business and the grandfathered business loses the agreement upon changing locations.
"I think this is a good move to preserve the opportunity for our small stores out there. This can be an important part of their business model," Sen. Jim Guthrie (R-McCammon) said. "Keep in mind as that happens, competition will work itself out and if it is no longer productive to continue operations, that will kind of take care of itself so to speak."
The Merc will try to stay open if the bill does not pass; however, they believe a change to their business model could be an insurmountable problem. Senate pro tempore Chuck Winder (R-Boise) supported the bill on behalf of The Merc.
"It has been there for I don't know how many decades. It's an important part of the historic nature of their community and I'd urge your support on this," Sen. Winder said.
The House overwhelmingly passed the original bill in February; they must vote to approve the amendments before sending the bill to the governor's desk.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.